Manage your handling time

Why is Two-day Default Handling Time Not Available?

As of October 24, 2023, the default handling time for seller-fulfilled orders transitioned from two-day to one-day for SKUs that are already processed within one day or less. This change reflects the high percentage of seller-fulfilled orders shipped within one day, aiming to provide customers with more accurate delivery estimates. However, you still have the flexibility to set two-day handling times for specific SKUs based on your business needs.

Why Did the Default Handling Time Change from Two-day to One-day?

The decision to shift default handling time to one-day is driven by data showing that over 85% of seller-fulfilled orders are processed within one day. By aligning default handling times with actual seller performance, Amazon enables sellers to offer customers realistic and appealing delivery promises. Nonetheless, sellers retain the ability to designate two-day handling times for specific SKUs as required.

What Options Do I Have to Update My Handling Time?

To manage and update your handling times:

1. Visit the Manage Your Handling Time section on Seller Central.
2. Access your shipping settings and navigate to general shipping settings to adjust default handling time.
3. Utilize SKU-level handling time settings to customize processing times for specific products.
4. Consider automated handling time adjustments based on historical performance to optimize delivery estimates.

For comprehensive guidance on handling time management and best practices, refer to Amazon’s resources on handling time adjustments.

Stay informed and responsive to changes in default handling times to enhance customer satisfaction and maintain operational efficiency.

Amazon provides estimated delivery times to buyers, calculated based on handling time and transit time. Handling time refers to the duration between when a buyer places an order and when you hand it over to your carrier.

Types of Handling Time

There are different types of handling time settings on Amazon:

1. Automated Handling Time: Amazon sets handling time based on your account’s historic performance, ensuring accurate delivery estimates and potentially boosting sales.
2. SKU-level Handling Time: Set unique handling times for specific SKUs to override default settings.
3. Default Handling Time: Account-level setting that applies to products without SKU-specific or template-specific handling times.

Automated Handling Time

Follow these steps to enable automated handling time:

1. Go to Settings → Shipping settings → General shipping settings.
2. Scroll to Handling time and click Edit.
3. Select Automated handling time and click Save.
4. You can also set your order handling capacity to manage high order volumes effectively.

SKU-level Handling Time

To set SKU-specific handling times:

1. Go to Inventory → Manage all inventory.
2. Locate the SKU and click Edit → Offer → Handling time.
3. You can also use feed files via Feeds API or Seller Central for bulk updates.

Default Handling Time

Set default handling time at the account level:

1. Go to Settings → Shipping settings → General shipping settings.
2. Scroll to Handling time and click Edit.
3. Choose Same day (0 day) or 1-day handling time and click Save.

Impact on Account Performance

Handling time affects the expected ship date and late shipment rate (LSR) performance metrics. Ensure timely shipment to meet Amazon’s requirements:

• Ship orders by the expected ship date to avoid late shipments.
• For Same-day handling time, ship orders before the cut-off time to meet delivery promises.
• Monitor and update handling times regularly to support accurate delivery estimates.

Seller Fulfilled Prime and Premium Shipping Orders

Seller Fulfilled Prime (SFP) and Premium Shipping require same-day shipping for orders received before the cut-off time.

Product Level Handling Time Recommendations

Amazon provides handling time recommendations based on your actual performance:

1. Go to Inventory → Manage seller-fulfilled products.
2. Click the Recommendations tab to view suggested handling time updates.
3. Accept or ignore recommendations to optimize delivery estimates.

By managing handling time effectively, sellers can enhance customer satisfaction and maintain performance metrics on Amazon.